International press freedom lobby groups have called for an independent investigation into the death of Cameroonian journalist Samuel Ajiekah Abuwe alias Samuel Wazizi, who died while in military custody 10 months ago.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) questioned his detention, the cause of his death and why it took long for his death to be made public.

Police arrested the journalist on August 3, 2019 in a suburb in the conflict-ridden Southwest region of the country, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defence.

He was transferred to military custody on August 7, then ferried to the capital Yaoundé six days later, Cameroon military spokesperson, Col Colonel Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo, explained.

The military said he arrived in Yaoundé feeling feverish and died on August 17 due to an infection. “As a matter of fact, he [Wazizi] died as a result of a severe sepsis and not from any acts of torture or physical abuse,” the statement added.

CPJ said the Cameroonian government’s “cruel treatment” of the journalist “is truly shocking” and it is unbelievable that authorities covered up his death in custody for 10 months despite repeated inquiries from press freedom advocates and his family, colleagues, friends, and lawyers.

“An independent autopsy should be conducted immediately, and Cameroon must also launch an independent commission of inquiry so that those responsible for Wazizi’s death are held accountable,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa programme coordinator.

RSF condemned the “bogus account” of the TV presenter’s death provided by Cameroonian authorities and called for an “impartial and independent investigation” into the circumstances leading to his death.

The defense ministry’s statement said the journalist had been in contact with his family while in custody but the press freedom lobby groups say the statement fell short of providing a credible explanation of how Wazizi died two weeks after his arrest.

CPJ said Wazizi’s sister-in-law, Metete Joan Njang, told them that their family had not been able to contact him after his arrest, and they were not made aware of his death but only saw it in a news report on June 3, 2020.

According to RSF, Wazizi’s brother also denied claims the journalist was in contact with the family while in detention. The unnamed brother told the advocacy group that neither Wazizi’s lawyers nor any relative had any contact with him after soldiers took him.

The Defense Ministry further added that the journalist was not arrested for his work but because he had links with terrorists.

“After thorough investigations, elements of the security forces had established that the latter [Wazizi], claiming to be a presenter on a local television station, was in fact a logistician for various terrorist groups,” the statement said.

His lawyer Lyonga Edward Ewule had earlier told the CPJ that Wazizi was accused of “collaborating with separatists” and “spreading separatist information,” but had not been formally charged. He said a court case against the journalist was adjourned several times.

On social media, journalists, politicians and activists have been using the hashtag #JusticeForWazizi to express their outrage over his death. Wazizi presented the popular pidgin language news programme, “Halla Ya Matta.”

Cameroon has a history of detaining journalists incommunicado, according to CPJ and RSF.  At least seven other journalists are currently being held in pretrial detention in the country according to data by the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ).

Cameroon’s press freedom ranking worsened this year. The central African country is ranked 134th out of 180 countries where one is the freest, according to RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index. The score is three places lower than its 2019 position of 131.

Source: The East African

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, Dabney Yerima has in a message offered the Interim Government’s condolences over the demise of the veteran Mola Njoh Litumbe.

In this week’s war cabinet meeting that examined the situation of Southern Cameroons media gurus targeted by the French Cameroun regime, the exiled Ambazonia leader also invoked the legacy of Njoh Litumbe and observed that “I extend my condolences on the passing away of Mola Njoh Litumbe to the people of Ambazonia and all fighters whose hearts are with the Southern Cameroons issue, especially the Ambazonia Restoration Forces and also the family of this blessed departed soul,” Yerima said.

Vice President Dabney Yerima added that “the Federal Republic of Ambazonia lost a very important figure and I hope that with the guidance and help of our ancestors and the Almighty God, Southern Cameroonians will get to Buea and honour Litumbe.”

The late Mola Njoh Litumbe helped to establish a strong and enduring Southern Cameroons governing authority and catapulted the Ambazonian cause to the international arena.  He successfully took the Southern Cameroons case to all corners of the globe and dared the colonizer and its criminal network in Southern Cameroons territory on his own terms and left them defeated and humiliated.

By Chi Prudence Asong in London

It’s being called the ‘worst crime’ against a Cameroonian journalist in the past decade by rights groups.

The death of Cameroonian journalist Samuel Wazizi in military custody last Friday is being called “the worst crime against a journalist in the past 10 years in Cameroon” by media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

It was confirmed on Friday that Wazizi, a broadcast journalist who worked for CMTV covering the country’s separatist movement, was arrested on August 2, 2019 for openly criticizing the government’s response to the movement. He was said to have been tortured and abused during his detainment.

While the news was confirmed by the Cameroonian Ministry of Defense just last week, reports reveal that Wazizi actually died on August 17, 2019—the same month of his arrest. According to a report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the military claimed that Wazizi was not tortured while in custody, but that he had died “as a result of severe sepsis” and had been in touch with his family. However, his sister-in-law Metete Joan Njang informed CPJ that the family had not been able to reach Wazizi since his arrest, and had only learned the news of his death on June 3.

“The Cameroonian government’s cruel treatment of journalist Samuel Wazizi is truly shocking,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator in a statement. “It is unbelievable that authorities covered up his death in custody for 10 months despite repeated inquiries from press freedom advocates and his family, colleagues, friends, and lawyers. An independent autopsy should be conducted immediately, and Cameroon must also launch an independent commission of inquiry so that those responsible for Wazizi’s death are held accountable.”

RSF shared a similar statement and has called on the government to end their silence against the mistreatment of journalists, send Wazizi’s body to his family and launch an independent investigation in order to “establish the chain of responsibility and circumstances leading to this tragedy.”

The Cameroonian government has come under fire from journalist and human rights groups, for its censorship and abuse of citizens and reporters, since the beginning of the separatist movement occurring amongst members of the country’s Anglophone population in Northwest and Southwest. The country ranks 134th out of 180 countries and territories in RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index. On several occasions, the government has taken further actions to quell dissent by shutting down the internet.

Several journalists and fellow Cameroonians are calling for #JusticeForWazizi online and are demanding increased freedom of the press.

Source: OkayAfrica